Boy or Girl - Baby Gender Prediction Myths

As soon as you learn about your pregnancy, the immediate question that crosses your mind is whether you are having a boy or a girl.

At times, even a total stranger can come and predict your baby’s gender by saying “Your baby bump is high. It must be a girl.”

There are numerous old wives’ tales for predicting the gender of your unborn baby. One such prediction is: the hand display test. When asked, if you show your palm in an upward direction could mean that you are carrying a girl. If you show your palm in the downward direction could mean that you are carrying a boy. Some can even predict your baby’s gender through the colour of your urine.

Even though your priority is to have a healthy baby rather than gender prediction, it’s only natural to eagerly want to know the gender of the baby, when pregnant. Some couples want to know their baby’s gender from the moment they have learnt that they are pregnant. Waiting for all those nine months to meet the little ones is the toughest job.

Expectant parents want to know their baby’s gender for various reasons. Some may want to choose the name, some want to decide on the colour of the nursery decorations, whereas others may want to decide on the clothes. Whatever the reason might be, predicting your baby’s gender is a fun thing to pass those long nine months.

Common Myths for Baby Gender Prediction Based on Symptoms

Following are some of the most common myths to determine boy or girl symptoms in pregnancy said by old wives. They are:

Feeling Sleepy During Pregnancy Means Boy or Girl?

Myth: Morning sickness is one of the most common signs of early pregnancy. However, it is hard to declare that every woman will have the symptoms. Based on old wives’ tales, if you experience morning sickness or feeling sleepy throughout the day, then it is a girl. Whereas if you are active and don’t have this symptom, then it is a boy.

Reality: The rising level of pregnancy hormone hCG is to be blamed for the symptoms. However, morning sickness or feeling sleepy during pregnancy means boy or girl has a kind of correlation between the symptom and the myth. Recent studies found that expectant mothers who have had morning sickness or severe morning sickness had given birth to baby girls. Women with severe morning sickness had likely given birth to twin baby girls.

White Discharge During Pregnancy Means Boy or Girl?

Myth: There’s a lot of curiosity (and let’s be honest, a fair bit of guessing!) when it comes to predicting a baby’s gender. One popular belief is that if you notice more white discharge during pregnancy, it could mean you’re having a girl. Some say less discharge points to a boy. It’s one of those old wives’ tales that gets passed around, especially among first-time moms.

Reality: White discharge during pregnancy, known as leukorrhea, is a completely normal occurrence. It happens due to hormonal changes and increased blood flow to the vaginal area. While it may vary in consistency and volume, there is no scientific proof that white discharge during pregnancy means boy or girl. The discharge is your body’s way of protecting the birth canal from infection and maintaining a healthy environment, not a gender predictor.

No Vomiting During Pregnancy Means Boy or Girl?

Myth: According to the legend stories, if an expectant mother experiences no vomiting symptoms, it can indicate that she’s carrying a baby girl.

Reality: Vomiting and nausea are one of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. They happen because of the sudden shift of pregnancy hormones. Some women tend to have a better ability to handle such changes in their maternal body. Hence, vomiting has no association with determining the gender of the unborn baby.

Craving Salty or Savory Foods Indicate Gender

Myth: Another well-known old wives’ tale on predicting the gender of the unborn baby is through having a sweet tooth. If an expectant mother craves for sweet foods, then it is a girl. If she craves salt and savoury foods, then it is a boy.

Reality: Craving for specific foods during pregnancy is real. But it has nothing to do with the myth. Instead, it has a huge correlation with hormonal fluctuations and the nutritional requirements of the maternal body. Furthermore, many experts claim that cravings are also strongly linked with cultural factors.

Skin and Hair Changes During Pregnancy

Myth: Another well-known old wives’ tale on predicting the gender of the unborn baby is through noticing changes in your skin, nails, and hair. It is said that if you experience hyperpigmentation, pimples, breakouts or acne in your skin can indicate that you are carrying a baby girl. Some may say that your girl is stealing all your beauty, which is not the right way to start your bonding with the little girl. Furthermore, if your nails and hair are thin and fragile to be broken easily, again the baby girl is blamed.

On the other hand, if your skin is glowing, having soft hands, healthy-looking hair, and long nails can all indicate that you are carrying a baby boy.

Reality: So, is acne in pregnancy a sign of a girl? The truth is, no scientific evidence supports this claim. All the noticeable changes in the skin and hair during pregnancy are solely caused by hormonal shifts. Predicting the gender based on pimples on face during pregnancy- boy or girl has nothing to do with the sex of the growing baby. Rather, these hormones are certainly unpredictable and affect every woman differently.

Body Temperature Changes During Pregnancy

Myth: Predicting gender based on changes in the body temperature during pregnancy is a common old wives’ tale myth. The tale claims that having cold or hot feet in pregnancy boy or girl can be determined. If you notice hot feet during pregnancy, then it is said that you might be carrying a girl. Whereas, feeling cold can indicate that you might be carrying a boy.

Reality: Experiencing such body temperature changes such as feeling cold in pregnancy boy or girl has nothing to do with the gender of the baby. The claim also has no scientific evidence to support the concept. In fact, such changes happen due to the rising level of pregnancy hormones. Some women can even notice changes in their body temperature at different stages of pregnancy to be extremely cold or hot.

Frequent Urination in Pregnancy Means Boy or Girl

Myth: According to the old wives’ tale, if you urinate more often throughout the day, then you are carrying a baby girl. The concept is vice versa in carrying the baby boy.

Reality: Determining the frequent urination in pregnancy boy or girl has no scientific basis. However, the urge to urinate more often is based on certain factors. The factors may include the increased blood flow in the maternal body and the pressure of the baby bump on the bladder. The myth has certainly no correlation with the symptom in determining the gender of the growing fetus.

Mood Swings During Pregnancy

Myth: One of the most famous myths to determine the gender of the growing fetus is through the heart rate. If your baby’s heart has more than 140 beats per minute (bpm), then it’s likely that you are carrying a girl. If it beats lower than 140 bpm, then you might be carrying a boy.

Reality: Learning your baby’s gender through fhr in pregnancy boy or girl, particularly in the first trimester, has no scientific accuracy. Studies show that the differences in the fetal heart rate have no significant influence on gender. However, the normal range of fetal heart rate can widely vary from anywhere between 110 and 160 bpm.

Fetal Heart Rate

Myth: If you experience drastic mood swings, for instance, from sudden anger to happiness, you are probably carrying a baby girl.

Reality: Determining the gender based on mood swings in pregnancy boy or girl is certainly not possible. The increasing level of estrogen hormones in the maternal body can impact emotional health. Mood swings can also happen because of physical discomfort and pregnancy stress. Hence, the symptom is in no way associated with the gender of the growing fetus.

Belly Shape Predicts Baby Gender

Myth: The old wives’ tale claims that the low baby bump can indicate the sign of having a girl. Whereas, the high bump can indicate the sign of having a boy.

Reality: Predicting the gender of the fetus only based on belly shape for baby boy and girl has certainly no scientific evidence. Rather, the shape of your baby bump has a significant impact on certain factors. The factors may include the number of your pregnancies, the position of your baby, your muscle tone, weight, age, and height.

Urine Color

Myth: The legend of old wives’ tales suggests that noticing your urine in a dark yellow colour can indicate that you are carrying a girl. Whereas, the brighter colour of urine can indicate that you are carrying a boy.

Reality: The prediction of dark yellow urine in pregnancy means boy or girl has no correlation with the growing fetus. The colour and smell of your urine during pregnancy are certainly influenced by your hydration levels, foods you consume, medications and vitamins you take, and infection, if any.

Urine color often changes based on hydration, not baby gender. Still, understanding the pregnancy urine color chart can help you monitor your health better.

Leg Cramps During Pregnancy Boy or Girl

Myth: Another gender prediction of old wives’ tales is through noticing the footsteps and leg cramps. If you experience cramps in your leg, and swelling in your feet and ankles can indicate that you are carrying a baby boy. Also, if you start walking with your right foot, it’s a sign of a boy.

Reality: Leg cramps during pregnancy boy or girl are one of the common legend tales. However, the myth is the typical pregnancy symptom that has zero correlation with the gender of the growing fetus.

Summary

Many couples have fun predicting their unborn baby’s gender through these old wives’ tales. However, it is suggested to not have complete trust in them. Even though, certain myths are correlated with scientific theory, waiting for those nine months to learn the gender of your baby can be astonishing.